In-between Dances: Orpheus Langston
As the third dance ended, Finch was glad that he was able to spend it with Albina. There was no need to impress her and thus, it allowed him to relax for one dance. After separating from his friend, he spotted his younger sister in the crowd. She came over to him with a wide smile after the two made eye contact.
“Finch!” She excitedly exclaimed. “Thea was right about how exciting this is. I’ve danced so much and yet I do not feel tired.” Finch smiled, happy to hear that his sister was enjoying herself. It was the first ball of her debut season. She had a right to have a good time.
“I’m happy to hear that you are having a good night, Lettie.” He responded, remembering how excited she had been to try on her gown for the evening and the high expectations she had set for herself. “Have any gentlemen caught your eye yet?” While finding a match himself was not a priority, he had always been invested in the matches of his older siblings, particularly Juliet as his only younger sibling.
“Maybe. Maybe not. The night is still young.” She quipped, a cheeky smile on her face.
“Juliet!”
“Coming Mama!” Juliet called to their mother before turning back to Finch. “Enjoy the rest of your night, brother.” She said to him before heading in their mother’s direction. Finch began wandering the ballroom, looking for his next dance partner, when he noticed a figure on the balcony outside. As he got closer, he realized that he knew who it was.
“Orpheus.” He whispered to himself. He debated between approaching him or continuing to avoid him like he had for the past few years but he knew that if he left Orpheus in this condition, it would haunt him. So, he properly approached him, clearing his throat as he did so to alert him of his presence. They locked eyes and Finch could see a myriad of emotions in the younger man’s. Betrayal, anger, hurt. He began to speak and every sentence he said was like a knife in Finch’s heart, driven in by his use of Finch’s title rather than his name.
“Let me explain I-”
Orpheus cut him off, giving him a lecture that he knew he deserved but one that stung nonetheless. The night of which he spoke, which Finch had since come to regret, had clearly left wounds on Orpheus which had yet to heal. The accusation that he had preferred the company of a lover to that of the man who he at one point considered a brother. An accusation which was far from the truth. Hurting Orpheus was an unfortunate consequence of a drunken encounter and lack of self-control. He hated the fact that he had caused him this much pain and he hated that he no longer wanted to be near him.
“Orpheus…” He started, though he wasn’t sure how he was going to contradict his version of the events of that night. He was ashamed. It was a night which shouldn’t have happened. “It was never my intention to hurt you. I cared for you, I still care for you and I apologize if I made you think otherwise. We were both intoxicated that night and we were not thinking straight. I avoided you afterwards because I did not know what I would say.” He gave his best attempt at an explanation but the sight of Orpheus in his current state interfered with his ability to formulate cohesive sentences. All he wanted to do was comfort him but he knew that he wouldn’t accept it.
He took a deep breath as he tried to maintain what was left of his composure. “I deserve your anger and I won’t beg for your forgiveness because heaven knows I don’t deserve that but it pains me to see you like this.” He said, taking another step closer to him. He moved forward in small increments as if he was testing how close he could get to the man. He wanted to ask what he could do to better the circumstances between them but he didn’t think that Orpheus was in the right headspace for that at the moment.
@DandelionKate - Orpheus